Students who successfully complete the course will gain competencies and dispositions to:

1. Articulate and compare different perceptions and visions of sustainable communities;
2. Describe and evaluate community development theories, models, tools, processes, institutions and history;
3. Apply the asset model of community development to think critically about the goals, practices and outcomes of efforts to build sustainable communities;
4. Collaborate with peers and members of a community organization in designing and implementing an interdisciplinary research project that helps build community assets in support of sustainable community development;
5. Communicate findings and recommendations to community members in ways that are effective and appropriate to the audience; and
6. See themselves as effective agents of change who can contribute to a process of sustainable development in a community.

ACTIVITIES/ASSIGNMENTS

Class activities and assignments include a community capital workshop, Community-Based Research (CBR) project, reflection journal, short essays, numerous guest speakers, readings, classroom discussions, field trips in the Carlisle community and a field trip to Ithaca, NY.

The CBR project was conducted by teams of 3 or 4 students, each in partnership with a community organization in the Carlisle area. The CBR project was the major focus of the course, accounted for half the course grade and included multiple deliverables (research plan, progress report, draft report, workshop presentation, final report, and final presentation).

In the second week of the semester, the students facilitated a Community Capital Workshop attended by two-dozen representatives of Carlisle area community organizations. The purposes of the workshop included identifying existing community assets that can aid in advancing community sustainability and brainstorming ideas for increasing and using community assets to create a more sustainable community. The outcomes of the workshop provided a starting point for the community-based research projects.

The field trip to Ithaca served two purposes. First, it provided an opportunity to meet with leaders in a community that has made significant strides toward sustainability. Students prepared for the field trip by reading Choosing a Sustainable Future, Ideas and Inspiration from Ithaca, NY by Liz Walker. Second, it helped build relationships among the students that led to good classroom dynamics for the rest of the semester.

OTHER TEACHING NOTES

Community-based research is a pedagogy in which students engage with members of a community to design and carryout a research activity that benefits both the students and the partner community. To be effective, the instructor should meet with prospective community partners prior to the start of the semester to reach common understanding of the purposes of the project, identify research topics that are feasible and beneficial to the partner and students, agree on if/how partners will assist students in their research, and set realistic expectations.

For this course, a number of community organizations were contacted two months prior to the start of the semester to discuss interest in the CBR project. Those who expressed interest were given a document that details the roles and expectations for partners, students and instructor, and were asked to complete a project prospectus form. Students were given the prospectuses at the start of the semester, formed teams, selected community partners/projects, and met with their partners to develop a research plan together. Nine organizations submitted a prospectus, of which five were chosen as partners by student research teams. Prospectuses of organizations that were not chosen were shared with the office of service learning so that other opportunities for collaboration with the college might be explored.

For a CBR course to be successful, students must also have a clear understanding of expectations. Most students are unfamiliar with community-based research, few will have had significant experience working with community organizations, and many will be uncomfortable with or even fearful of working with a community partner on a graded academic assignment. Address student concerns directly and frequently. Communicate to students that CBR projects are challenging, often messy, unpredictable and subject to surprises, and that a "failed" project does not result in a poor grade, so long as learning has occurred. Students in this course were given the document CBR Project Roles and Expectations as a starting point for communicating these messages.

Three books were assigned for the course:

• Liz Walker, 2010. Choosing a Sustainable Future, Ideas and Inspiration from Ithaca, NY. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada.
• Gary P Green and Anna Haines, 2012. Asset Building and Community Development. 3^rd Edition. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA. (Abbreviated G&H in course schedule).
• Mark Roseland, 2012. Toward Sustainable Communities, Solutions for Citizens and the Governments. 4^th Edition. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada.

A good resource for community-based research pedagogy is:

• Kerry Strand and others, 2003. Community-Based Research and Higher Education: Principles and Practices. 2^nd Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ.

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